A recent Google acquisition of DoubleClick for a whopping USD 3.1 billion has turned many heads. The recent past certainly does not fit into Google's traditional non-aggressive attitude towards acquisitions for monopoly in the market. DoubleClick Inc., a spearhead in ad-serving, is only one of many companies acquired by Google. A comprehensive list can be seen here. Beside Google's acquisitions, this article will also explore some changes in Google's philosophy and potential threats to web community.

I'm by no means validating Googles actions, but it myths me how on the one hand people demand free web services (e-mail et al) and on the other hand whinge when their e-mails get scanned for advertising perposes.

The simple answer to this is to 'let your feet do the talking'(so to speak) and refuse to use Google for your mail. It's hardly an expense renting a mailserver and dot-com these days (it's as little as 10GBP/month for the complete package) so why do business with a company you don't trust?

I dont think it's really what google does that bothers people but what it does *considering* the "dont be evil" part of their business model.
Of course, if you actually believed in that "Don't be evil" bullsh1t for more than 5 seconds you should probably seek psychiatric help.